Insecurities
by Angel Kitty
Summary: IV's friends make some uncomfortable comments. III is bothered by them. They have a talk about it. Teaservice if you squint? I think it's more brotherly love than anything.


"Oh my God IV…he's cute."

IV bristled at his friend's words, less than pleased and somewhat surprised by them. His little brother wasn't "cute". He was just Mihael. Sure, he'd been a little pink fluffball when he was a kid, but he was grown up now (well, almost). So what the hell?

III took it pretty well, smiling weakly and remaining silent. He hadn't expected his brother's friends to pay him any kind of special attention when he had tagged along with him that day, trying to keep him company and serve as a sort of assistant while IV prepared for his little meet and greet with his fans. In fact, he hadn't even known he'd run into them at all. This was a little…awkward. The group of guys crowded around, each having their own little remark to contribute as they admired the sight IV had brought for them.

"Cute little kid."

"One hell of a baby brother."

"Careful IV, or someone's going to snatch him up!"

"Hey, is he available?" Hideki, the one with the brown bangs constantly falling into his eyes, was the one who showed the most interest beyond teasing. "I could take him off your hands for the rest of the day…and night." He grinned widely.

"**No**. No way in _hell_." The Champion duelist was angry and horrified, unconsciously slipping a protective arm around III's shoulders. III still didn't say anything, feeling oddly stuck. They were talking about him right in front of his face, like he was an item to be borrowed, and he couldn't summon up the words to speak up for himself! It was that bad habit again; the habit of keeping out of his brother's business.

"You know what? I'll deal with you later. I have things to do. C'mon, III." The older sibling now seized him roughly by the elbow, dragging him away while Hideki began to protest.

As they walked the rest of the way through the city, III remained silent. He wished he'd said something back there. He didn't like how he'd been treated.

Finally, he managed to find his voice. "Nii-sama?"

"Mm?"

"Am I….do I…um…" The pinkette trailed off, feeling uncomfortable.

"Tch. Spit it out."

"Do I look like a girl?" III mumbled.

"What?" IV snorted loudly. "Give me a break, III. Hideki is gay as fuck. Just because he hit on you doesn't mean you look like a girl. And you're not cute, for that matter."

This brought a little grin to III's face. IV was brutally honest, as always.

"Do I look like a kid?" He still had that concern remaining, considering their reactions.

IV responded with a question of his own. "Are you dumb?" III bit his lip, not enjoying the harsh reaction to his insecurity. "Yeah, you're a little short for your age…"

Mihael let out an irritated noise, his displeasure clear on his face.

"It's true. I'm not going to lie to you. Here, show me your face." III obliged, stepping a little closer and letting his brother tilt his chin up with his finger.

"Well, you don't have a baby face. Not by a long shot. Your features are pretty mature, actually. But your eyes are really big and you keep making goo-goo eyes at everyone you talk to." III frowned. "So you look really innocent. That's all it is." Thomas dropped his chin, ignoring the sour look his brother was giving him. "Not to mention some of those guys are a lot older than you. Older than me, even. Except for Hideki; he's my age."

III sighed, accepting defeat. "I guess it bothered me more than it should have," he said, giving the older boy a weak smile.

"Nah. They were jerks." IV ruffled his brother's hair affectionately, putting the pink curls in disarray. But III laughed, feeling a lot better.

"Not as much as you, Nii-sama," he teased, giving his brother a playful grin.

"Will you shut up? Now, we're almost there, so you better make yourself useful before I send you home."

III was content to walk by his side, continuing to tease and jab at Thomas. IV wasn't such a horrible brother, really. And despite the rude friends and sibling bantering, for now, all that mattered was that they got to spend this time together. Even if IV did put him to work.


End file.
